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Return address

At the end this month, my husband and I will be married for 6 years. My name has long been changed and we have moved several times, yet, every now and then I will still get something in the mail that has my maiden name on it. It’s usually some subscription service that I’ve long discontinued and it’s always something along the lines of “We miss you; we want you back! Save X-amount when you restore your account.” It’s probably something embarrassingly expensive that I never should have gotten into in the first place, but they try to reel me in with the limited time offer of “savings” or additional benefits. 

The world calls you by your old name and tries to get you reinterested in places you had no business being in the first place. The world tries to convince you that you are “missing out” if you choose not to be involved. The world tries to woo you with suspiciously convenient too-good-to-be-true benefits at a price that ends up being much higher than it initially seems. 

Romans 6:21-23 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We now have a new name and a new address! Return that mail back to sender because they no longer live here! The old identity is cast away and we get to take on our new identity in Christ. As God’s children, not only do we belong at the Father’s house, but we have a place prepared at His table because He already anticipated protecting us and providing for us. Our heavenly benefits far surpass the maximum satisfaction that this world can offer. These benefits are eternal; there is no time limit, and the price was already paid on our behalf. How can we possibly miss out on anything when we have unlimited access to the One who has authority over all things?

Matthew 16:26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

Power of words


The Power of Words


Raising teenagers — not for the weary, right?


Recently, my girls and I have had some discussions about the destruction of gossip. They have watched rumors and gossip leave a trail of destruction. It has torn apart someone we love dearly. 


Tonight, we sat down and talked about how that felt. She has seen how negativity becomes the spark to burn down reputations.  We recognize the wrong of it all when someone we love is on the other end of it, but does that stop us from doing the same to someone else? 


Gossip destroys ministries. 
Gossip ruins reputations. 
Gossip divides hearts. 
Gossip ends friendships and families. 


Gossip is never productive. 


Proverbs 16:28 (CSB)
A contrary person spreads conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.


Proverbs 26:20 (CSB)
Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down.


Christians should be about grace, mercy and healing. It’s like we forget the power of our words. 


It only takes a spark to start a blaze. There is a reason we are commanded not to gossip.  We have to decide, “Am I going to use my tongue to praise the Lord or lash people?” Are you going to edify or divide? Do you want to show people the change that Jesus can make in your life? Or do you want to blend in with the world? And sometimes, the church is worse than the world on this one. 


James 3:1-10 (CSB) 1 Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body. 3 Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we direct their whole bodies. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.


Only the Holy Spirit can tame the tongue, but we have to yield to it. The words we use will always show the condition of our hearts. 


Be the good. Be like Jesus.

Motherhood

Mother’s Day weekend – one of my most favorite weekends of the year. I am surrounded by so many great mothers who inspire me to be a better mother each day, and I love a good reason to celebrate them! 

Motherhood is a beautiful calling, but boy is it also exhausting at times. There are days when the laundry piles high, patience runs thin, and your energy to keep going feels completely nonexistent. Yet even within all of the unseen moments, we must remember that God sees your faithfulness through every part of every day. 

“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. ” — Galatians 6:9

Kingdom work can look like this:

When you wake up tired and still choose kindness. 

When you guide little hearts even when yours feels overwhelmed. 

When you keep showing up, loving, teaching, and giving. 

Sometimes we all need a little reminder that God has placed you exactly where you are right now for a purpose. Your home is not just a place of routine and the to do lists, but it is a place of ministry each and everyday. The seeds you plant daily in your children’s lives are eternal.

The moments that we think are the smallest everyday things such as packing the lunches, wiping the tears, reading the bedtime stories — they all become acts of worship when done for Him.

On the days when you feel like you have nothing left to give, yet you somehow always find a way, remember this:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

God does not expect perfection. He simply calls you to remain faithful. He will strengthen you when you are weak and carry you when you think you can’t go on.

Keep going, mama. Not in your own strength, but in His. You are not just raising children. You are building the Kingdom one faithful, tired, love-filled day at a time. Soak up every single moment because we all know just how fast it all goes by. 

Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all!

Firm foundation

My youngest son recently decided he is ready to buy his first home. It is an exciting new season for him, but also a season of patience and prayer. Our advice to him first and foremost has been that you want a house with a firm foundation. It doesn’t matter how good the house looks, if the foundation is bad, this will compromise its structural integrity. It reminds me of the parable Jesus taught in the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

 It is clear that Jesus is emphasizing that any one who hears His words and puts them into action is wise. Our entire christian walk revolves around wisdom found in God, instead of relying on our own understanding. When our foundation comes from the word of God we are able to fight through life’s storms. The floods(troubles) will not overtake us. Our lives can look very similar externally, but it is what is in our hearts that determine our paths. If we lean on God our Rock and follow His commands, we are like the wise man who built his house on the rock. The wise man lives obedient to God’s word. We should put action to His commands. We are called to be disciples and to spread the gospel to the world. When our actions match the words we speak, that is our testimony.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1: 22-25

We have to view our lives from an eternal perspective. Everything we do follows us into eternity. When we read scripture we need to pray God will supply us with the ability to walk in wisdom in everything we do and say. Jesus was the perfect example of what we should strive to be. He modeled  a perfect life that honors God. We are not capable of living a perfect life like Jesus, but we do have a choice of  where we build our house. We don’t want our lives to crumble under pressure. Let’s live our lives with security and hope that our foundation is unshakeable.

“Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.” Psalm 62:6-7

Slow down


The other day, I was outside in the yard and had left the front door open, so one of our cats decided to go exploring in the house. He belongs to my daughter, and I guess he could scent her in the house, so he went on the hunt and found her in her room. The problem is that this poor cat is cross-eyed, so he doesn’t have the best vision, and it was still dark outside. With no light on in her room, this made it even more difficult for poor Teddy to actually find Maddie. He started meowing in a way that alerted her that he was looking for her but couldn’t tell exactly where she was. Knowing that he needed help, she reached out her hand to touch him so that he could figure out how to get next to her to curl up.


Some of you may feel like Teddy. You’re looking for God, but because there seems to be so much darkness surrounding you, you just can’t see Him no matter how hard you try. You’re crying out, “God, where are you?! I can’t see you in this mess!”  And He’s a good, good Father. He’s reaching out His hand to guide you so that you can curl up next to Him in this moment and rest.


I have a friend who is deathly afraid of heights, and I once had her put on a VR headset that made it appear as though she were on a plank stepping out of an 80-story building. She was instantly frozen in fear. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get her to take a step. She had literal tears streaming down her face at one point! I was in her ear reminding her that she was not 80 stories high but in my living room on solid ground. I even grabbed her by her hand at one point to assist her, but what she saw with her eyes outweighed the truth she knew in her heart. This is why Paul said, “We live by faith, not by sight.”  Our eyes will convince us we are 80 stories in the air even though we are in a one-story home on solid ground, and our eyes will convince us that God is nowhere to be found just because we can’t see Him when the truth is He is just within arm’s length.


  Slow down. Take a deep breath. Don’t let what you see or feel outweigh what you know to be true.  Just like Teddy, call out to the one you are looking for. He is faithful and will reach out His hand.  You are not a pot of boiling water forgotten on the stove. His eyes have never left you. His hands have never left you. You are safe. 

Margins

I can remember learning to set margins on a typewriter in my high school typing class. Can you?  I was recently preparing a message for a breakout session for a women’s event and came across an interesting tidbit in an article about margins. 

Margins haven’t always been about neatness. (Have you ever had a teacher take off points for writing in the margin?).  According to the article, margins were often used to create space around the page because even if the edges were damaged by mice, the important message in the center would still remain intact.

Doesn’t this make for an interesting analogy for life? Full schedules, constant digital noise and notifications, relationship tensions, mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, and the list can go on. All the things that “chew at the edges.” If I’m not mindful, those things won’t stay on the edges. They’ll start eating the way into the center. Soon my peace, priorities, purpose, and relationships that truly matter are in danger. 

It just so happens that April is National Stress Awareness Month, an annual campaign started in 1992, created to bring awareness to the modern stress epidemic. God’s Word is filled with teachings about the importance of space, rest, boundaries, and  limits. 

Exodus 20:8 -10 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.

Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

If I know creating margin, space, and boundaries are needed to protect the important stuff, why can it be so difficult to do so?  Why may we feel we have to fill every space? 

The world’s influence sends messages like, “Busy equals important.” “Full calendars equal success.” “Slowing down must mean we are falling behind.” If we aren’t vigilant, productivity becomes tied to our personal identity. Rest and quietness become uncomfortable, foreign. 

Another interesting point I read is over time margins became more than protection, they became places of engagement. Scholars and scribes used margins to write notes beside the text. Teachers wrote corrections in the margins of student papers. Editors made revisions there. It became a space for reflection, correction, and growth. 

“But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:2-3 NLT

Without margin, space, and quietness for our hearts, there’s no space to listen. No place for God to speak. For correction. For growth, reflection, or even gratitude.

Margins in our lives don’t equate to laziness or wasted space. They are protection for the things that matter most.

Your cross

My husband and I have been teaching the youth about truly trusting the Lord in everyday life— not just saying it, but living it. Making sure our actions actually align with what we claim to believe. Let me be real – it’s been stepping on my toes.

Here’s the idea: 

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’” — Matthew 16:24 (NLT)

In a world that constantly says “it’s all about you,” “follow your dreams,” and “do whatever feels right,” we have to remember… it’s never been about us. We’re called to deny ourselves. To lay down our plans, our timelines, our way— and truly follow Him. Because the truth is, we miss out on the fullness of what God has for us when we hold on to control. I’ve seen it in my own life. The most meaningful, powerful moments in my walk with Jesus have come when I fully surrendered. When I let go of my way and trusted His. 

My prayer for us is simple:
That we would speak the name of Jesus over our day before the world has a chance to speak. That we would take up our cross— laying down the “about me” mindset. That we would choose to follow Him… again, and again, and again.

To truly follow Him, this is what we must do. Take up your cross – you won’t regret it. 

We fall short


From birth, we attempt to fulfill our wants/needs by our own means. Genesis 16 records a time such as this. God promised Abram that He would make him into a great nation and bless him greatly, but his wife Sarai was unable to conceive. Instead of waiting for God’s perfect time, Sarai gave her Egyptian maidservant (Hagar) to Abram to bear children for them. When Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarai, and Sarai told Abram this was his fault. To be honest, he did have a choice in the matter, right? Like Adam and Eve, both Abram and Sarai fell short of God’s will when they did things their way. Abram told Sarai to do as she wished with Hagar. Scripture tells us that Sarai mistreated Hagar, and Hagar ran away. 
 
But, the angel of the Lord met Hagar in the desert near a spring, telling her he would give her descendants too numerous to count. He told her to return to the camp and submit to Sarai. He told her to name the child Ishmael. Hagar’s response is a familiar passage. She named the Lord “El Roi, the God who sees me”, saying “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Hagar wasn’t part of God’s plan, but He knew what would happen. He knows our weaknesses and uses every circumstance to draw us closer to Himself. Ishmael’s tribe would be a source of continuous conflict with the house of Israel. The consequences of disobedience are long lasting. Praise be to our Father who works things out for our good even when we fall short. Sometimes, it is through suffering that we come to the end of ourselves and remember that God is waiting for us to “lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence our help comes.” (Psalm 121:1)
 
What are the takeaways in this story? Our Lord loves us! He knows our hearts are desperately wicked and loves us anyway. He left the glory of heaven to die on a cross, taking our punishment. He came to give us the sure hope of heaven to be with Him forever. He sees all we do, knows every thought we have, and hears every word we speak. He knows the very number of hairs on our heads. He knew us before we were born, and He knows when we will take our last breaths. None of us are hidden from His sight. The God who sees us is the God who waits for each of us to repent, to confess Jesus as Lord, and to follow Him. He asks us to trust Him at His Word. John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Run to Jesus. He’s waiting for you.

Monday


Easter Sunday has passed..now what? The empty tomb is not just a one-day observation; it is a miracle that changed everything. The power of sin is broken as a result of Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross. His resurrection reveals that death has been conquered and confirms that He is the true Messiah. These powerful events open the door to new beginnings and eternal life for those who believe and accept this good news.
Some reminders we can bring into the Monday following Easter:
1. The resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus, it also invites us into a new way of living. Once saved, you are a new creation. You are no longer bound by your mistakes and shortcomings. 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
2. The resurrection itself wasn’t the end of the story. Jesus communicates a mission to His followers. Tell everyone you know about the good news! 
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬.
3. The same power that was used to raise Jesus from the dead can give you life. The resurrection power can help us overcome setbacks, discouragement, and fear. 
“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭
Easter Sunday should transform your Monday.  The holiday comes once a year, but the crucifixion and resurrection must be celebrated daily. Don’t let this season pass without remembering the hope that is available to us through Jesus Christ. It is life-changing! 

It is finished

I devoured several good detective-driven dramas and missing persons mysteries during March. There’s something about a good read in the spring sunshine. 

I do have to admit something: I’m NOT a good mystery reader. Far too often, I come across a case that can’t unfold fast enough. I can’t just end a chapter with a life on the line or my favorite character hanging off the cliff…so I flip to the end. That’s right, I bypass the spoiler alert and ruin the ending for myself. 

I sat laughing with my husband about how I impulsively and impatiently skip ahead to the end, but part of me wondered why. Why did I need to know how the story ended? Why couldn’t I just wait and see? Why did I rush my reading to get to the ending? Why couldn’t I sit at the end of a chapter? Why did I HAVE TO KNOW how it ends?

Well, to put it plainly and honestly: 

Because I crave control and comfort. 

Because not knowing is not okay for me.

Because uncertainty makes me anxious.

As I reflected on my tendency to turn too many pages at once, I thought about how I do the same in my own life. I want to look ahead and see how it ends. I want to skip right past the uncertain, unknown, and unsure and get to the unraveling. 

Will my test results come back clear or with concern?

Will my postpartum season be marked by anxiety?

Will my sons choose to follow Jesus faithfully?

Maybe you’ve asked similar questions.

Will my marriage make it through this?

Will we ever get past this pain?

Will I ever recover from this?

As I dug into my own life story, I realized it’s less mystery and more history. I don’t have to wait and see how my story ends. I don’t have to frantically flip to the end.

Jesus solved our mystery on Resurrection Sunday. 

We don’t have to sit at the cliffhanger or wait for the conclusion. It is finished. He wrote our ending, beautifully, wonderfully, better than we could have ever imagined. 

Us with Him.

No matter the chapters of our lives…

No matter the plot twists or turning points…

No matter the unknowns or uncertainties…

The end remains the same:

As believers, we will be whole and healed with our Father in eternity.

So, we don’t have to rush through the incredible, purposeful, beautiful, story He is writing. We already know how it ends.